No Ducking this family's passion

Feb. 21, 2012

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Yvonne Jordan shows off some of her hockey sticks signed by Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yvonne Jordan's "playoff hat" is a giant foam puck that a friend bought for her at a bar in Toronto. She wears it only for playoff games. The hat is signed by several players, each of whom has won the Cup. PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yvonne and Damien drank from the Cup after the Ducks won it in 2007. They were invited to join then Ducks Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Andy McDonald, who took the Cup to a local radio studio. PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Mural features Yvonne wearing jersey No. 41, her age at the time. It was painted by a family friend who is an artist. What was the artist's reaction when she presented him with the idea? “He thought it was crazy.” And her husband Damien's reaction: “He thought I was crazy.” PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yvonne Jordan never attended a hockey game until the Ducks came into existence. It only took one game to land her. "I thought it was fascinating, these guys on ice skating around on knives, basically," he says. "I was hooked.” PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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For her 50th birthday, Yvonne received a Ducks-produced video from Damien featuring personalized brithday wishes from Teemu Selanne, Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. “There were a few people who wanted to be here but couldn't make it," he told her at her party, "so they sent a video.” PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yvonne's favorite Ducks is Teemu Selanne. "But I want to clarify," she says. "Yes, he is handsome, but I like his goal scoring and fast skating. And he is such a good human being. How can you not like Teemu Selanne?” PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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In discussing the Ducks, Yvonne uses the phrases “my players,” “my team” and “my Ducks” a lot. This is a centerpiece from one of the team's many charity events. PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yvonne's haul includes a signed glove from former team captain Scott Niedermayer. PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Mural depicts a Yvonne as the Ducks goalie stationed in front of the net. Behind her, in the stands, are the faces of her husband, Damien, and the Jordans' children, Aden and Gabrielle. “We have to warn people before they go in that bathroom,” Damien says. “It can be a little shocking at first. They say stuff like, ‘I don't want to go in there and have Yvonne staring at me.' ” PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The front of the Jordans' home features purple carpeting, a tribute to the Ducks' old colors. When the team changed, Yvonne's husband, Damien, told her, “We aren't getting orange carpet.” PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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One of the photos in Yvonne's collection includes this message from former Duck Chris Pronger: “To Yvonne, Thank you for all your support! It means a lot. Your friend, Chris Pronger.” PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yvonne was in Tampa Bay with the Ducks when goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere was traded. The two encountered each other in the hotel lobby. “He was calming me down, saying, ‘It's OK. I'm going to Toronto. Everything will be fine,' ” Yvonne says, smiling at the memory. PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yvonne usually attends a couple Ducks' road games each season. She has not, however, been to Detroit. Her husband, Damien, has made it clear she probably wouldn't be welcomed there. “I'll never see Joe Louis Arena, I guess,” she says, smiling again. PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yvonne's love of the Ducks is mostly limited to just one portion of the couple's home in Fullerton. Outside, for example, there's only a small Ducks flag planted near the garage. PHOTO BY ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, TEXT BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

FULLERTON – This is a love story, a classic love story, typical in all regards but one.

It starts in a bathroom.

A bathroom with signed hockey sticks suspended from the ceiling, with Paul Kariya's University of Maine jersey autographed and mounted on one wall, with stacks of pucks everywhere, each bearing the signatures of stacks of Ducks.

It all hits you like George Parros' balled-up right hand as you walk through the doorway, under the sign proclaiming "Mighty Ducks Ave." and past the Jean-Sebastien Giguere figurine and painting of Teemu Selanne and proudly displayed photo of Mikhail Shtalenkov.

Just about the moment you're thinking, "Anyone with a picture of Mikhail Shtalenkov in their bathroom really loves the Ducks," your eyes meet The Mural. That's when Parros' balled-up left hand lands.

"Doesn't every Ducks fan have one of those?" Yvonne Jordan asks, knowing the answer is No! H-E-double-hockey-sticks no!!!

The Mural depicts a Ducks goalie stationed in front of the net, in classic netminder pose. The face on the goalie is that of Yvonne Jordan.

Behind her, in the stands, are the faces of her husband, Damien, and the Jordans' children, Aden and Gabrielle.

"We have to warn people before they go in that bathroom," Damien says. "It can be a little shocking at first. They say stuff like, 'I don't want to go in there and have Yvonne staring at me.'"

Anyone who believes they are the biggest Ducks fan around might need to reset their sights. Whenever Damien's father, Paul, encounters someone who makes that claim, he says something like, "No, you have no idea," and then he reaches into his wallet, where he carries a picture of The Mural.

Anyone who believes they are the most committed Ducks fan around needs to reset their thinking, too. The Jordans annually are among the most generous supporters of the team's charity efforts, sponsoring events such as the player fashion show and meet-the-team wine-tasting night.

It is partly an obsession and partly a calling.

"Yvonne and I are very fortunate," Damien says. "We've been given a lot of gifts by God. We like to give back, in terms of time, talent and treasure."

So almost everything Ducks that Yvonne has hung, displayed or propped up in the couple's house was purchased or won at charity functions. And there's so much of it that Damien, trying to keep a cap on the madness, originally limited Yvonne's decorating to just the bathroom.

He succeeded. Sort of. The Ducks memorabilia slowly but certainly has seeped into other areas of the home. But that's love for you. When it's true, it can't be tempered.

Yvonne also has bought several VIP experiences, like traveling with the team to Colorado for a game, having dinner with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry and playing golf with Chris Pronger. It didn't matter that Yvonne doesn't play golf. They simply adjusted the experience and had dinner with Pronger, instead.

Another time, Sheldon Brookbank and his wife, Lene, came to the Jordans' home and prepared them dinner. Lene is a recent graduate of culinary school.

On another occasion, Bobby Ryan and Joffrey Lupul visited and brought along their guitars for a jam session.

The latter experience is commemorated by a brown leather chair in the family room with Ryan's autograph on one arm and Lupul's on the other.

"It's great that we can have so much fun with this while giving something back," Yvonne says. "And it's so nice that the Ducks are so involved in the community. I love that about them."

Last year, hockey analyst E.J. Hradek introduced her to Wayne Gretzky with, "Wayne, do you know the 'Team Mom' of the Ducks?"

"Team Mom," huh? Well, someone did once give Yvonne a Ducks jersey with those exact words on the back.

Her emails always start with an address that includes the phrase "duckfan" and typically end with the valediction "GO DUCKS!" Yes, all caps, with an exclamation point.

On satellite radio's hockey channel, she's "Yvonne from Anaheim" because, she explains, "They don't know Fullerton in Canada." She was a regular caller to the old "Loose Cannons" program and still calls Jim Rome's show.

The subject is always the same — the Ducks, her Ducks.

"When I like something," Yvonne says, a duck dangling from her necklace, "I'm a full supporter."

After road playoff triumphs, Damien often finds himself driving to Honda Center — be it 12:30 at night or 5:30 in the morning — to hang one of Yvonne's homemade congratulations signs.

She has a giant foam puck that she wears on her head, but only for postseason games. Someone bought it for her off a Toronto bartender.

When the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007, the Jordans hosted a party. More than 200 people showed up, a crowd that, because of logistics in their neighborhood, required valet parking.

Yes, Yvonne is a big, B-I-G Ducks fan and Damien a willing enabler.

For the Jordans, life is about having good times and supporting good causes. In the Ducks — her Ducks — Yvonne can have both.

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